Pitchers & Catchers REPORT: Can Cleveland Guardians Pitching CARRY Young & INEXPERIENCED Lineup?

8 comments

1. I would love to keep Arias at short, in the way where the lineup has more punch and you concede an out there. However we don't have that luxury, basically everything that isn't LF (In the first half historically), 3B, and 1B/DH are the only things you routinely have a good feeling about their spots in the lineup. If Rocchio at 2B gets to a 85-95 WRC+ as does Naylor then you can sell me on Arias in the lineup. I am just skeptical of the whole lineup. Which is a fresh new idea you guys haven't heard.

2. I honestly think arias is the better option at short. His defense is better and honestly the bat wins games. Yeah he might K more but when he does hit they feel like they have more impact than rocchio.

3. Appreciate you guys doing what you can with a lackluster offseason….albeit even if we “shouldn’t” have made any moves it makes your jobs really difficult haha

4. I think i am higher on Cecconi than most. I know his advanced stats don’t point to much, but he’s got that dawg in him!! He seems intelligent in interviews, and eats innings. Smart ball player that pitches beyond his numbers imo. And that was in his first season with the team. No doubt he makes some positive strides

5. Roll out the tin foil

6. Great show gentlemen. Very intrigued by the tinfoil hat theory.

7. Thanks LoG! Much appreciate the staff summary!

8. Realistically there are only two guys on the 40 man who have what it takes to become an All Star level, Cy Young vote getting, elite Ace- Gavin and Espino. Everyone else (including Bibee and Cantillo) are mid-rotation SPs at their best. That’s fine, but for this team to be seen as a serious contender, we need one of those two guys to develop into that elite pitcher by the time the playoffs roll around. There are dudes at the lower levels like Mobley, Doughty, etc who could be future aces, but I don’t know that anyone else on the 40 has that potential (MAYBE Stephen, I’ve not seen him pitch enough).
   Obviously that’s asking a lot out of Espino for this season, but he’s still got a legit 70 fastball and a slider that’s at least a 65. Who knows whether he will even get the opportunity to start games, but you cannot ignore the stuff. With Gavin it’s all about control, as that was the sole factor that blew up his FIP last year. When he cuts down the walks, he’s a great pitcher, it’s that simple.
   I was ready to give up on Bibee in August last year, but his fantastic September gave me hope. Unfortunately since Bibee’s breakout season, he’s slowly gone downhill. Development isn’t linear, but when there’s a clear linear direction, you can say that the development phase has passed and he’s just failing to adjust to the league’s adjustments to him. Maybe it is that he’s been overthinking his approach, but that’s also hard to shake.
   I’m sorry, but I simply cannot believe that Cantillo has the best stuff in the system. Maybe if you’re talking pure stuff (spin rate, break lengths, etc) but even then, he’s not spinning it like Espino can. I think Cantillo can become a very crafty MLB pitcher. As for Cecconi, I think there are some traits he’s got that haven’t really shown up yet in the underlying measures. Everytime Cecconi gets on the bump he’s battling so you know the head is there, but I think he can become a very good 4-5 starter for a playoff caliber team.
   I still like Logan Allen more than either of you two, and he was one of the best SP5’s in baseball last year. The issue is that Messick is going to be pushing Allen down all year. He has a fantastic pitch mix now and I think he can become a solid SP3 as early as this summer.